The impact of The Rite of Spring upon the direction of twentieth-century music is well documented, its repercussions strongly felt ever since its explosive premiere on 29 May 1913. Yet, while audiences revel in this work’s many dynamic and atmospheric qualities, and while composers of all generations since that premiere have engaged with its impressive technical/rhythmical intricacies, The Rite’s impact upon those who are charged with actually delivering the work ‘live’ on the concert platform or in the recording studio, that is, the orchestral musicians, has been relatively neglected. Few, though, would challenge the assertion made by Martyn Brabbins, the current musical director of English National Opera, that The Rite of Spring has ‘single-handedly transformed the role and function of the conductor’.